


they could fight the battles we never could

by leapylion3



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Pacific Rim (2013), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Crack Treated Seriously, Crossover, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Explicit Language, F/M, For Science!, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Light Angst, Love/Hate, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, POV Third Person, SHIELD, Science Boyfriends, Science Husbands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 10:05:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1069185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leapylion3/pseuds/leapylion3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Loki comes to Earth with an army of Kaiju at his back, Newt and Hermann are appointed heads of SHIELD's science department. With the risk of the world ending hanging over their heads, will they ever put their differences aside for the sake of humanity?</p>
            </blockquote>





	they could fight the battles we never could

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Hannah, who made the amazing artwork for this fic! Go check her out on tumblr! Her URL is iron-han :D 
> 
> This has been an absolute blast, however exhausting and nerve-wracking. Still, give yourselves a pat on the back if you participated, and thank you, Allison, for organizing all of this!

_All personnel: the evacuation order_ has _been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles… This is_ not _a drill_.

Sirens blared loudly, the red lights flashing and illuminating the dim lab. The message repeated over and over again on the intercom, but he ignored it. He continued typing away at his laptop, brow furrowed behind the large pair of glasses he wore. It’s not often they were evacuated, so it had to be something _huge_ , something Director Fury wasn’t telling them. And Newton Geiszler was _not_ going to leave his lab without questions, nor without knowing exactly _why_.

“Doctor Geiszler!” his lab partner screeched, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Newt resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and continued staring at the computer screen. “They issued an _evacuation_. Who knows what could happen if we stay here?” Hermann tugged on Newt’s arm, grumbling all the while. “We have to get out of here, Doctor.”

“Only my mother calls me Doctor,” Newt snapped, finally looking up at Hermann. Normally, Newt wouldn’t have minded, but he did not need Hermann’s worrying and hovering now. Since when had his lab partner ever cared for his safety, anyway? “You’re free to go, and I suggest you do before the car leaves. But I am _not_ leaving until I get to the bottom of this.”

Hermann let go of his arm as if he’d just been scalded. “Are you absolutely _insane_?” he hissed. “You can just ask what went on when we get to the new headquarters. I don’t think Director Fury would be happy if he finds out his leading biologist-”

“ _Hermann_.” Newt _never_ called his lab partner by his first name, just as Hermann never called him Newt. It was the way they worked, and none of them had ever really bothered to correct the other. “Check your phone.”

“What-”

“ _Just do it_.”

Surprisingly, Hermann dug into his pocket without any more fuss and pulled out his smartphone. “What do you want me to look at, exactly?”

“Bars, the amount of bars.” Newton furiously tapped away at his keyboard, entering so many numbers and codes and notes it made his head spin, no matter how used to it he was. “I’m getting _seven_ bars on my computer, Hermann. That’s _two more_ than possible.”

Hermann stayed quiet for a few moments, then whispered a tiny “shit.” He unlocked his phone and swore again. “I’m getting seven as well. Seven- _no_ , wait, _eight_. That’s eight bars.”

Newton saved his document and closed his laptop, slipping it in his bag. “Dude, it’s the fucking Tesseract.” He slung his bag over his shoulder just as a loud rumble echoed throughout the building. “I-it’s overheating, or, or _something_ …” For two years, the Tesseract was stable- well, as stable as an unlimited source of energy could be. But now…now something bigger was involved.

“ _Or something_ , indeed,” Hermann agreed. “We have to get out of here.” The entire lab shook, Petri dishes flying across the room and test tubes tumbling over the edge of the counter.

“That sounds like the best plan I’ve heard all day, Doctor.” The floor quaked, so badly that neither of them could walk straight. Newton reached out and clamped his hand around Hermann’s skinny arm, keeping him upright. They took one tiny step at a time, waving their other arms to the side to keep their balance. Newt felt as if he was walking on a tightrope, and though he was not hanging over a hundred foot high canyon, he knew that this was somehow _much_ more dangerous.

Rubble began to fall, first a gentle sprinkling like the first winter snows. It landed on Newt’s head, tangling in his hair and coating his cheeks with a thin film of plaster. He knew they had to hurry, before the bigger pieces fell. His heart tightened in his chest at that, and a cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. Hermann sensed his silent panic attack, and squeezed his arm; despite their constant bickering, they always knew what the other was thinking. It was a strange system they’d set up, but it _worked_ , and Newton would be damned if they ever changed it.

The sirens were drowned out by the rumbling of the building, and although the sound of the sirens had Newt wanting to slit his own throat, it had still been a reassurance, somehow. It had been before the danger, before the storm. Whatever was going on with the Tesseract-

Hermann’s hand slipped from his arm, and he fell to the floor before Newt could reach out and catch him. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion; Hermann’s feet went under him and his head hit the ground with a dull _thunk_. Newt was calling out his name, but his voice didn’t sound like his own. He took a step towards his lab partner, but stumbled when a test tube hit him in the shoulder. Hermann’s wordless cry echoed in his ears for hours on end, when a thick tile from the ceiling landed on his left leg.

Newton couldn’t think straight, kept seeing Hermann writhing under the fallen debris. With a loud grunt, he pushed the tiles off of his lab partner, both of them covered in dust and plaster. He knocked glass flasks off of a gray cart, the one that he’d brought the ant farm in on not two days past. (Hermann had freaked out and almost broke the container, but realized that the ants would only crawl all over every available surface- including him- if he did that. Newt had been triumphant and had bragged to anyone who was willing to listen, but the ants are probably crushed and under fallen tiles and counters by now.)

If Newt was asked today how he managed to lift Hermann onto the cart, he wouldn’t have an answer. He would simply say that it was what he had to do. (And, secretly, Newt knew that Hermann would do the same for him.)

* * *

 

The nurse woke him up late the next night, offering him a glass of water with one hand and a slip of paper with the other. He recognized the scrawl to be Agent Coulson’s, and Newt would call him in the morning. It was too late now, and he was still half-asleep. The phone number seemed familiar to him, but he could not place it in this state of grogginess. He supposed he’d find out in the morning.

The chair hurt his back, and he tried to work out the kinks in his neck. His eyes must have been bloodshot; he’d barely slept for the past couple of days. He’d stayed with Hermann in the makeshift ambulance that frightful night, grasping his hand as Hermann drifted in and out of consciousness. He’d been moved onto an old stretcher found by some agents in a supply closet, and Newt had clamped his mouth shut and refrained from yelling at them to get him a more comfortable place to lie down on. Hermann’s leg was bent and twisted at an awkward angle, but was now- fortunately- covered by the hospital-issued bedsheets.

Newt rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. The _beep_ ing of the heart monitor echoed in his ears, and he would panic whenever he imagined that it would become a flat line. “Hang in there, buddy,” he whispered, finding Hermann’s hand; it was ice cold. “We’ll get you a really pimped out cane. Y-you can even hit me with it, if you’re mad!” He winces at his word choice, and gave his head a quick shake. “N-not in the kinky way, I-I mean...never mind.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he held back a groan. He pulled it out and saw Coulson’s name flash on the screen. “Agent Geiszler,” he answered, feigning alertness. “Wasn’t _I_ supposed to call _you_? And, you know, at a more reasonable hour?”

“Doctor, if my number gets to you somehow, I am to be phoned right away.” He paused for a moment, as if he was surprised at himself for the stern words. “War never rests, Doctor.”

Newt snorted, then mouthed an apology to a sleeping Hermann for the loudness. “Did you get that from a Batman comic or something? And, wait- what’s this about war?”

“You weren’t listening to the news reports, were you?”

Newt shook his head even though Coulson couldn’t see him. “The TV isn’t working in Hermann’s room- _hospital room_.” The agents already amused themselves with calling Newt and Hermann an old married couple; Newt didn’t want to give them something else to gossip about. (He loved attention, he really did, but he was willing to make a sacrifice for Hermann.) 

“Loki has declared war on us. That Earthquake back at headquarters? It wasn’t a normal Californian Earthquake. It was the opening of a portal.”

“A _portal_? Coulson, look, this isn’t _Star Trek_ , buddy- _sir_. Portals open in _space_ , and they’re called black holes. T-they don’t just _appear_ in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!” His head was spinning, and he felt as if he was the victim of a cruel prank. “Wait, did you say _Loki_? Like, _Norse mythology_ Loki?”

“We’re not dealing with science anymore, Doctor. It’s magic...it’s the unknown.”

“You should really be a movie-trailer-voice-guy, Phil.”

Coulson let out a small chuckle. “I’m sending you the files on everything we have so far.” Newt opened his emails on his laptop and was faced with _codename: Kaiju_. “You’re the only biologist on the team we can reach.” _On the team_ made Newt feel giddy, like he was part of something; he thought of Agents Barton and Romanoff, but he kept his cool.

“Kaiju? _Monster_ , huh… Catchy, I guess.”

“Are you busy tonight?”

“…no?”

“Then, Doctor Geiszler, I expect you to become an expert on the Kaiju. I’ll see you tomorrow. 1200 hours, on the Helicarrier. Don’t be late.”

Newt was met with the monotone drone of the dropped call signal. Grumbling, he set his phone on the nightstand. A cold hand wrapped around his wrist, and he almost screamed.

“I may only have heard one side of that conversation, but what’s this I hear about Japanese monsters? And…and _Loki_? Are we speaking of the same-”

“Yes, the Norse God. And, Jesus Christ, Hermann, don’t scare me like that. At least give me a warning first, dude.”

Hermann winced and nodded as best as he could while lying down. “Right. Sorry.” He cleared his throat, and moved to sit up; Newton was immediately at his side to help. “Are we going to meet Agent Coulson tomorrow?”

“Well, yeah, we- _no_. No, _I_ am going to see Coulson. I, Newton Geiszler, will be aboard the Helicarrier, while you, Hermann Gottlieb, will be staying in this bed and resting until you are fully healed.”

Hermann glowered, and despite being shrunken and sickly and tangled in the bedsheets, he was still damn intimidating. “ _We_ will be boarding the Helicarrier, and I will help you with your studying tonight.”

“But-”

“Doctor Geiszler, I swear, I will take a _wheelchair_ if I have to.”

* * *

 

No one spared them a second glance as Newton wheeled Hermann onto the Helicarrier. It was a relief, almost, to know that the people they worked with were the utmost professionals. But a part of Newt wanted to wave his arms and _scream_ , to shake everyone by their shoulders and _force_ them to stare at Hermann. “ _Look what your shitty program did to my best friend!_ ” he would yell, eyes mad and chest heaving. But Hermann wasn’t his best friend- not officially, nor would Hermann ever acknowledge it out loud-, and it wasn’t SHIELD’s fault.

“You’re late,” Coulson informed them, leaning against the doorway to the bridge. His eyebrow was perpetually quirked up in a silent challenge, and there was always a hint of a smirk on his lips. “You were supposed to be here for-”

“1200 hours, yes,” Hermann interjected, wheeling away from the two of them. “It is 1203, and I do not see the fate of the world compromised because of a mere three minutes.” He paused, then turned towards Coulson with a charming smile. “A mere three minutes, _sir_.” Hermann was nothing without his courtesies.

Coulson chuckled and tucked his clipboard under his arm. “Nice save, Doctor. Now, if you two would be so kind as to follow me…” He made a sweeping gesture with his arm and slipped into the hall, towards the science department. Newton stumbled forward and grasped the handles of Hermann’s wheelchair; letting go, he found, made it seem like he was abandoning Hermann. (And that was something he’d never dream of.)

“What’s this I hear about the Avengers Initiative?” Newton muttered, leaning closer towards Coulson. He’d heard farfetched rumours and excited whispers upon stepping foot on the Helicarrier. He may have worked with professionals, but in headquarters, gossip traveled _fast_. “I thought that idea was scrapped.” Sure, the fanboy inside him might have freaked out a little at the thought of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes coming together, but that didn’t mean it was the _best_ idea.

“If you knew what was good for you, Doctor, you wouldn’t have heard anything about it at all.”

Newt swallowed thickly and backed away from Coulson. He nodded meekly and tightened his grip on the handles of the wheelchair. “Yes, sir. Understood.” Phil was quite possibly the least intimidating person at first glance, but Newt knew him better than most. He knew the little cues; sharp tones, cutting glares, tight smiles. Coulson was not the type to yell- that was left to Fury and Hill-, but that made him all the more frightening.

He led the two scientists to their lab, where diagrams and graphs and blown-up pictures of the Kaiju were on display. “It took three missiles to take down Trespasser, and Stark even had to get involved.” Tony Stark and giant reptilian monsters? Newton’s fantasies were coming alive, straight from the depths of his wildest imaginations. (He wanted to hit himself; he should have contacted the comic company about the idea before it actually happened.)

“What does this have to do with us?” Hermann questioned, narrowing his eyes in the way that was just so _Hermann Gottlieb_ that Newt wanted to rip his hair out. (It was strangely endearing, but Newt would never dare admit that.)

“Well, Doctor, seeing as you two _are_ our leading scientists, we thought you could help. Wars aren’t won with just big men and bigger weapons, you know.” Newt was ninety-nine percent certain that Coulson had rehearsed that in front of his mirror. “We need information if we want to know what the hell is going on here.” He set the clipboard on the immaculate countertop. “Information _is_ your specialty, after all.”

“Agent, may I be frank?” Hermann didn’t wait for an answer. “In case you haven’t noticed, Doctor Geiszler and I do _not_ work well together. So if it is information you want, I’m afraid that all you’ll be learning is how colourful my vocabulary can be.”

“I had a feeling you might say that. But, as of two nights ago, you are heads of the science department and the only certified PhDs in your fields. And you can thank Director Fury for that.”

Newt and Hermann gaped at each other for a few moments, attempting to process the news. It was one thing to be with lab partners with Hermann...but to be lab partners when everyone was depending on them? That was something else entirely. Hell, just the other day, they’d had an hour long argument about whose side ended where. Their feud had ended when Hermann decided to draw a line of chalk running through what he thought was the exact centre.

On the other hand, Newt was always up for a challenge.

“All right, Hermy, I’m gonna need you to make some magic with those miraculous numbers of yours.” Newt rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He dove towards the jar of what was labelled very bluntly as ‘Kaiju guts’.

Hermann watched in disgust as Newton opened the tempting jar. He gagged at the stench, and Newt wished that he’d taken a picture of his face. “Agent Coulson, please tell this _blundering buffoon_ to-”

 

Coulson ignored him, eyes sparkling. He saluted to the both of them, and Newt could only nod back, being elbows deep in Kaiju intestines. “Good luck, gentlemen. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we are _all_ depending on you.”

* * *

 

“Did you hear the news?” Newt demanded, hopping on Hermann’s desk.

“If you could be more specific, that would be helpful- and would you mind getting off my desk?”

“They’re bringing him in.”

“ _Who_?”

“Oh, you _know_ who.” Newt jumped back onto the ground, and hunched his shoulders. He ground and bared his teeth, and glared at Hermann in what he hoped was a threatening manner. “You don’t want to make me angry. You won’t _like_ me when I’m-”

“Please don’t rip your shirt off. And of _course_ I knew Doctor Banner was coming. I just…thought that he might want to be…well, you know.” Hermann shrugged and shuffled files around on his desk. “Treated like a normal person.”

“This is _the Hulk_ we’re talking about!”

“Doctor Banner was called in, not the…Other Guy, as he calls him. I’m sure he would appreciate it if you-”

The door slid open before either of them could blink. “What would I appreciate?” Bruce Banner smiled at them, brow furrowed quizzically. “You fellas are louder than you must think.” He clapped Newt on the shoulder, and it took all of his willpower to not freak out on the spot. “Nice impression, by the way. You really got the…crazed look in your eyes down.”

Hermann snorted and huffed. “That’s an understatement, Doctor.” He stood up and shook hands with Bruce. “You should see him when he’s watching _Star Wars_. It’s absolutely atrocious.”

“ _Hey_!”

Bruce chuckled. “That sounds entertaining. I’d love to watch them, after we, you know, save the world.” He said it casually, as if he was merely reading a grocery list. “It’s a pleasure to be working with you two. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And we have heard a _lot_ about you!” Newt exclaimed, ignoring Hermann’s sharp looks. He enthusiastically shook Bruce’s hand, his cheeks hurting from smiling so much. “It is an _honour_ , Doctor Banner, it really is. I have read _all_ of your research papers, and let me say, it is _hard_ to sit me down and get me to read-”

“Doctor Geiszler?”

“Yes, Hermann?”

“You’re rambling again.”

Newt flushed red, and nodded his head several times. “Right, I tend to do that.” He shook Bruce’s hand again, and Bruce’s teeth rattled from the force of it. “Once again, huge fan. Just…let us know if you need anything, and we’ll be happy to help.”

“That’s appreciated, thank you.” Bruce looked as if he would burst out laughing at any given moment. “It’s been wonderful meeting you two. I’m afraid I have to go get briefed by Director Fury now, but I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”

Hermann smiled politely. “It’s been a pleasure, Doctor Banner. If you have time, perhaps we can talk about that article you wrote on tracing gamma rays? It’s quite embarrassing to admit that I have reread that more times than anything else.”

 

Newt drowned out the conversation, focusing on the figure in front of him. He had just become friends with _Doctor Bruce Banner_. The genius, the Hulk, the _scientist_. Hermann would make fun of him later, but Newt couldn’t care less now. He was stuck in a crazy but wonderful world with assassins and spies and gods and unlimited energy sources, and now Doctor Banner was added to that whole equation.

* * *

 

Newt and Hermann were in the midst of another screaming match, rendering it impossible to hear the knocking at the door. The floor to ceiling glass practically _forced_ the two scientists to look at the impatient visitor, but Hermann was waving his newly-acquired cane at Newt, who was cowering behind his arms and dodging the attacks. Hermann just hit the counter instead, dangerously close to Newt’s temple. “You are the absolute-” _thwack_ “-most incorrigible-” _thwack_ “-and _insolent_ child I have _ever_ -” _thwack_ “-had the displeasure of knowing!” Hermann was panting and flushed pink by the time his sentence was over, a thin film of sweat on his forehead.

“I don’t see what the big deal is!” Newt protested, narrowly avoiding getting a few of his teeth knocked out. “They’re just tattoos!” And they were very nice tattoos, thank you very much.

“They are tattoos of _Kaiju_! Who in their right minds would waste money and risk infection to _permanently decal your skin with giant reptilian monsters_?!” Hermann was a stick in the mud, that was all. He was a pompous, apathetic control freak with his pants on too tight and a stick shoved so far up his ass it was a wonder he could walk. (He couldn’t really walk, Newt reminded himself, not without the cane, but that was beside the point.)

“It’s _my_ skin to decal!” Newton shot back, ducking under the counter.

The door opened with a _whoosh_ , and both scientists shut up to glare at the interruption. Tony Stark, of all people, swaggered in and rolled his eyes. Normally, Newton would have bowed down in front of the billionaire and kissed his feet (he wore heeled shoes, but Newt understood the perils of being vertically challenged better than anyone else). But, this was not a normal situation. This was Tony Stark walking in on Newt and Hermann bickering like five-year-olds and screaming so loud that everyone on the the Helicarrier must have heard them.

“The door was locked...” Hermann tried, voice uncharacteristically meek and confused.

“Yeah, there might have been an override that I definitely know nothing about.” Tony leaned against the desk with the beginnings of a smug smirk on his lips. “Oops.”

Newt composed himself and dashed over to Tony, hand stuck out. “Doctor Geiszler,” he introduced himself, “but you can call me Newton. Or Newt, everybody calls me Newt.”

“I know who you are. I know who _both_ of you are. Which is exactly why I’m here.” Tony inspected the jar of Kaiju guts, an inquisitive expression on his face. “We know where Loki is now, so chances are, he has the Tesseract. And if not, then, well… Doctor Gottlieb, I sure hope you like working with numbers.”

“It’s my specialty, Mr. Stark.”

“Good.” Tony smiled at that. “We’re going to need some predictions, as to _when_ the Kaiju come, and _from where_. Doors open from both sides, right? They have to come from _somewhere_.”

“And obviously Loki needs a huge source to open a portal of that size,” Newt mused.

“And Loki isn’t stupid,” Hermann added.

“If he was stupid,” Tony drawled, “it would make our jobs a lot easier. Doctor Geiszler, find anything about the Kaiju?”

Newt shook his head. “Nothing yet. I can’t exactly _do_ anything until I have another sample. Right now, all I can tell you is how many bones it has, along with information on the chromosomes you most probably don’t care about…” He trailed off, noticing that Tony was pressing two fingers to his earpiece.

 

“You might get another sample soon, Doc,” Tony said, speed-walking to the door. “Loki’s in Japan, and there’s a massive Earthquake- probably another portal opening. Keep your comms on, boys. Something big is about to happen.”

* * *

 

“Hermann!” Newt cried, running around the lab, cradling Kaiju intestines in his arms. Hermann was about to shout to get the hell off of his side, but Newton’s excited chatter cut him off. “These two Kaiju! T-they’re the same!” He was panting from the weight of the guts flopping against his chest. “I tested their DNA, and everything’s the same!”

Hermann raised a dubious eyebrow. “So you’re saying we’re dealing with _copies_?”

“Yes, Hermann, _clones_.”

“This isn’t one of your science-fiction films, Doctor Geiszler. How would _anyone_ be able to replicate something of that stature?”

“Well, that’s what I was getting to. If you think _that_ part was crazy, you might want to hold onto something for this next bit.” He dropped the intestines onto one of the trolleys, bits of slime flying everywhere. Some landed on Newton’s glasses, which he wiped off on his shirttails, much to the disgust of his lab partner. “Did you calculate any predictions yet?”

“Of course I have,” Hermann snapped, as if Newt should have _known_ that he was. (Then again, Newt worked beside Hermann for nine hours every day, so he probably _should_ know better. But Newt never really cared for numbers, so he chose to ignore them instead.)

“And?”

“By my calculations, we’ll be getting a Kaiju every two days.” He hesitated, shrinking back into his sweatervest. “And, well…soon we might be getting more than one at a time.”

Newt ran his fingers through his hair, only realizing too late that he still had slime on them. “What you said before, about someone trying to replicate them? It’s not just _someone_. It’s the entire Kaiju population, on the other side of the portal. Tony said it himself; doors open from both sides, right?”

“I’m…not exactly following, Doctor.”

“No one could possibly store any of those beasts without someone finding out. The portals aren’t coming from anywhere on Earth. The Kaiju, they’re from…they’re from God knows where.”

Hermann pursed his lips together in a fine, grim line. “And that god is Loki.”

“Or Thor, whichever one. Both of them are onboard; Thor will be less hostile, that’s for sure, but Loki knows more.” Newt rubbed his arms with paper towels, scowling at the goop. “You said two days? Why do you think Kaiju aren’t just constantly pouring out of the holes? They’re from another _realm_ , like in all those myths we read about when we were kids.”

“That explains why Thor and Loki haven’t swung around headquarters more often,” Hermann commented dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. Newt let out a humourless chuckle. “If Loki’s opening these portals, he’ll want something bigger.”

 

“He’ll want more Kaiju, and _faster_.” Newt’s hands slammed down on the desk; Hermann flinched, but didn’t say anything about it. “ _The Tesseract_. It all comes down to that. Wherever the hell it is, we need it. And _now_.”

* * *

 

Newt and Hermann inched their way inside the prison, sweaty palms and shallow breaths. If the God of Mischief heard them, he did not show it. His back was turned to them, but he _knew_. He could not be tricked; he would not be beaten at his own game. And that made it all the more difficult.

“What are you playing at, Loki?” Newt snapped. Hermann shuffled to the console, hands hovering over the buttons. If Loki lost his temper, the glass cage would plummet thirty-thousand feet to the ground. If it would kill a god, Newt did not know. But, hey… _for science_.

“It’s lovely to see you, too, Doctor.” His voice was sharp and slithering, like snakes. And that’s all he was; he was a shadow of a snake. “Please, take a seat. I’m _ecstatic_ that you decided to pay me a visit. It gets rather lonely in here.”

Newt stood his ground, fists curling at his sides. He’d spoken to Hermann about this, had promised not to get angry. Loki would win if he got angry. “Kaiju, Loki. What the hell are they?”

“Ah, the monsters. A clever little name you gave them. SHIELD must be so proud.” His smile was mocking, the look a predator gave its prey.

“You’re not from around here, so how about I explain how things work.”

“I’ve already gotten a very extensive welcome from Director Fury, although the offer is appreciated.”

Newt ignored him. “We have a job to do, a bigger one than before, and that’s all because you decided to go ahead and royally fuck everything up. I was content with my desk job, thank you very much.” Well, working in a cramped lab had been closer to a desk job than being in charge of the biology unit. “It’s not just about the government anymore. It’s about the whole _world_.”

Loki’s grin widened until Newt thought his face would split in half. “And that’s the fun of it, isn’t it? Why settle for any less?”

“You’ll destroy the Earth in the process,” Hermann interjected, speaking up for the first time since they entered the room. “What’s the point of taking over the world if you have nothing left to rule?”

“Then I’ll rule over the ashes.” Loki stood up from the small bench and strode over to the glass, his hands clasped behind his back. “You want to know about the Kaiju? You cannot even begin to _comprehend_ them and where they come from.” His voice had gone eerily quiet, and the menace was real now. “Just when you think you get close to the solution, everything will change. I will always be two steps ahead of you.”

“What I’m wondering,” Newt said, crossing his arms over his chest, “is how a bunch of slimy, oversized and wild monsters agreed to follow _you_. How do you communicate with them, anyway? Do you happen to speak Kaiju? Or is it just a lot of mating calls?”

Loki scowled; darkness flashed over his features. “Do not mock me, Doctor.”

“The God of Shits and Giggles can’t take a joke?” Newt stepped forward, all the amusement gone from his eyes. “You’re going to tell me just where the hell you put the Tesseract, or it’s going to get a lot uglier from here on out.”

“I sent it away, I know not where.” Loki sounded almost regretful. _Almost_ ; Newton knew better.

“Listen, you little-”

“ _Newton_.” It was Hermann. Newt bristled and swallowed thickly, slowly turning around. His lab partner did not say anything, but he didn’t need to. The conversation was over; whatever Loki knew, he wouldn’t tell them. And, even though Newt had willed to believe otherwise, they could not beat Loki at his game.

 

Loki’s voice drifted by them as they left the room: “If you’re wondering where I got _my_ slimy, oversized and wild monsters, well,” he chuckled, “I’m just _dying_ to know where you picked yours up.”

* * *

 

Neither of them said a word for hours after the attack on the Helicarrier happened. Hermann kept writing numbers on the chalkboard that even Newt knew made no sense. He had never heard his lab partner- let alone _anyone_ \- curse that much, but it was as if Hermann had just stepped out of a Quentin Tarantino film. Newt wanted to tell him that everything would be all right, but he could not make such a promise when he wasn’t sure of it himself. _Just hang in there, Hermann._

“Well?” Hermann finally gritted out, scrutinizing Newt from over his shoulder. “You’re not going to sit there all day, are you?” He tried to look menacing, but he only came across as exhausted. His fingers trembled, and a bit of chalk broke off at the tip, where he was pressing too hard. The tail of his four trailed down, until it came in contact with the wooden edge of the board.

“What do you want me to do?” Newt asked, exasperated. He was not in the mood for another fight, though with all the tension between them, it was bound to happen. Hermann and Newt were a chemical reaction, and combustion was inevitable.

“ _Work_ , perhaps?” Hermann snapped, tossing the piece of chalk onto the tray.

“How can I _work_ at a time like this?” Newt curled deeper into the blanket he’d grabbed from his quarters, and he hadn’t even been in the spirits to make a Sherlock Holmes ‘I’m in shock’ joke.

“All the other agents are working.”

“No, Hermann, they’re not.” He clutched the corners of the blanket and ground his teeth. “Barton’s in the medical bay, Thor’s _gone_ , Banner’s _gone_ …” He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat, his fingers fumbling with the sleeves of his shirt. “Coulson’s _dead_ , Hermann. Stupid, stubborn, _brave_ Coulson…”

 

Hermann slammed his hand on the board, sending dust flying everywhere. “Do you think Coulson would have _wanted_ this, Doctor Geiszler?” He breathed out a few German swears and pushed his hair away from his forehead. “He died for a reason. He died for _us_.” His eyes were wild as he stared at Newt, his chest heaving with ragged panting. “Coulson wanted us to take down Loki and the Kaiju, and that’s what we’ll bloody well do.”

* * *

 

Newt knocked on the door, and Agent Romanoff’s voice came through, as clear as a bell. “Come in,” she said in that silky speech of hers. He punched in a few numbers on the keypad, and the door slid open. Natasha nodded to him, her face impassive. He had never been sure if she liked him in any shape or form, therefore making him uncomfortable around her. Then again, she was not exactly a comforting person, and the only person she showed any form of affection to was Agent Barton.

“No flowers?” Clint teased.

“I brought you coffee instead.” Newt gave a cup to each of them; both accepted gratefully, and Natasha gave him a rare smile. “How’s the head?” he asked Clint, taking a sip of his own latte. He sat on the chair across from the cot, his elbows resting on his knees.

“It’s better,” Clint admitted. He winced when he took a swig of the too-hot coffee. “Gotta thank Nat for the cognitive recalibration.” He looked at the redhead with a strange sort of fondness. “She’s always looking out for my best interests, this one. I mean, who knew that you had to punch someone in the head really hard to break the spell of a god?”

“I just really wanted to hit you in the head,” Tasha said dryly, her lips twisting into a humourless smirk. “So, Doctor, what brings you here?”

Newt looked over his shoulder to make sure that the door was in fact closed. “You guys have been around here for awhile, so you must know the ropes.” He lowered his voice and leaned in a bit closer to them. “You and I both know how many secrets SHIELD is hiding, and it turns out that I need some of them. It’s about…well, I think you know what it’s about.”

“Kaiju,” Clint spat, as if the word had a bad taste in his mouth. “Loki told me enough about them.” He shook his head, his face contorted in pain. Natasha put a hand on his bicep and whispered in his ear, words Newt could not make out. (He did not think he was meant to hear them in the first place.)

“There are some files on them in the storage room Clint helped collect,” Tasha told Newt. “There are also reports from Fury and other agents.” She scribbled a few numbers on a piece of paper and gave it to the scientist. “There are some very… _interesting_ files you’ll find in there. I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

 

Newt stood up and saluted to both of them. “Thank you for your help, Agents.” He slipped out of the room; the numbers from Tasha’s piece of paper ran laps through his mind. _Let’s see just what you’re hiding, SHIELD_.

* * *

 

The retinal scan was approved, and he was let into the storage room a second later; the door locked behind him. The boxes that Steve had opened were sealed shut once more, and Newt’s lips pursed into a thin, grim line. He knew how serious SHIELD was about their information…and how serious they were about keeping it confidential. He had heard a bit about Phase Two, but he’d never added everything up; he’d thought it was an innocent plan to upgrade SHIELD’s defenses. Now that he knew what secrets SHIELD was hiding, well…he had to see what else he was missing.

He tapped Natasha’s numbers into the filing cabinet, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. It _beep_ ed in protest, shouting that there was an override in process. Newt cursed, and tugged open the drawers; he scooped out any and all files, then slammed the cabinet shut with a bump of his hip. He tore the keypad off and ripped the wires out. He sighed in relief; the room fell into a silence once more.

He turned on the small flashlight he’d brought with him and held it in his mouth. He carefully skimmed through all the files, murmuring a quiet “aha” around the flashlight when he found what he was looking for. The report was about the second Kaiju attack, the one that had happened in Japan. _It took two atomic bombs, combined with Stark and SHIELD forces… ‘Kaiju blue’ was discovered, more toxic than nuclear radiation…_

He heard some footsteps outside the door, and a cold block of ice settled in the pit of his belly. He crawled behind the filing cabinet, never taking his eyes off of the reports in front of him. His heartbeat pounded in time with the footfalls, and he swore that the intruder would be able to hear. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The footsteps faded away, and a weight was lifted off of his shoulders.

_An attempt had been made to destroy the Breach…the bomb would not go in…only Kaiju were able to go in and out…_

 

The papers crumpled in his fists, and he pursed his lips. He grabbed all of the files on the Kaiju, fully intent on showing Hermann and the others. Whatever Fury’s plan was, it would not work.

* * *

 

Newt tiptoed down the corridor, clenching his jaw tightly together to stop his teeth from chattering. Only the safety lights on the floor lit up his path, and a part of him was glad for that; he wouldn’t want to be caught by other agents while wearing his _Ghostbusters_ pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers. And, of course, after the initial funny stares of his colleagues trying not to laugh, they would ask him exactly _where_ he was going at one in the morning. (The answer was Hermann’s quarters, but he did not want to admit it. Rumours would circulate, and he was not in the mood to deal with those.)

Tentatively, he knocked on the door. “Hermann?” he called, his voice meek. He was afraid of being turned away, and he did not want to spend the night alone; after all that had happened today with Loki and Coulson... He sniffled, his eyes puffy, and he hoped that Hermann wouldn’t make fun of him for crying. (Hermann had been crying, too, but he always put on a brave face for Newt.)

His lab partner opened the door mere seconds later, his hair dishevelled from sleep, but he smiled nonetheless. Wordlessly, Hermann handed Newt a steaming cup of tea, as if he knew that Newt would come. Hermann’s face was a bit splotchy, but Newt figured that was only because he slept funny, with his face smashed into the pillow. (Newt thought Doctor Hermann Gottlieb was incapable of crying. He had a combover and a bowlcut, and wore grandfather sweatervests, and pulled his slacks up past his waist, but he did not cry.)

“Nice slippers,” Hermann joked quietly, leaning on his cane. Newt blushed, and could not come up with a comeback. Hermann took a sip of his tea and led Newt to the bed, the only sound the _clicks_ of his cane. The sheets were already rumpled, yet his room managed to look pristine. (Then again, Newt was comparing it to his own room, which was littered with candy wrappers and dirty clothes and notes written in chicken scrawl.)

Newt finished his tea in only a few swigs, so quickly that he hadn’t even noticed his burning tongue or the ache in the roof of his mouth. He set the empty mug on the nightstand and kicked off his slippers, pulling his knees to his chest. Hermann’s mug joined Newt’s, the steam wafting up into the air. Newt was transfixed by it, and barely noticed the mattress dip as Hermann sat next to him. He was suddenly warmer, as if he had never known the cold.

“Go to sleep, Newt,” Hermann murmured, his lips brushing Newt’s temple with every word. Newton didn’t think that Hermann had _ever_ called him by his preferred nickname, but he was too stunned to speak. He simply let Hermann pull the sheets over them, let his lab partner draw him to his chest. Hermann smelt of the mint and eucalyptus shampoo he favoured, a scent that Newt had become so accustomed to since they started working together all those months ago.

Newt felt a fresh wave of tears prick at the back of his eyes. All those months ago…it had been because of Coulson. Newt never would have met his infuriating, pompous, _ridiculous_ colleague without Phil. But Hermann was smart, witty and caring (when he showed it), and Newt deeply admired him. _Opposites attract_ , Coulson had said when he first introduced the two scientists to one another. Newt hadn’t believed him then, but now…

“It was ‘cause of him,” Newt yawned, burying his face into the crook of Hermann’s neck.

“Hmm?”

“I met you…‘cause of him…” Newt’s eyelids were heavy, and threatened to close with every passing second. He was thirsty, too, but he would have to hold off until morning; Hermann had already given him a cup of tea, and Newt was too comfortable to want to move.

 

Newt wasn’t sure if he was delirious because of his exhaustion, but he could have sworn that Hermann kissed his cheek. He did not question it, though, and let Hermann stroke his back soothingly. “Goodnight, Newt.” He kissed Newton’s cheek again, and Newt finally allowed his eyes to droop shut.

* * *

 

Newt blindly fumbled for his glasses on his nightstand, cussing under his breath. Hermann stirred next to him, and Newt muttered apologies, trying to find the _off_ switch on his pager. It was a message from Fury, and through his sleep-fuddled gaze, he read the message:

_MOVING IN ON SEATTLE. PORTAL OPENING; KAIJU SET TO ATTACK. FIND OUT HOW MANY._

Newt’s heart thudded in his chest, so loudly he thought that it would wake Hermann. This was it. The big battle he had always dreamed of as a kid… It didn’t seem as exciting as he’d previously imagined it. Lives would be lost, he knew, and that thought sickened him to the stomach.

Did Coulson know it would come to this? Of course he did, Newt reminded himself bitterly. It was why Coulson greeted death like an old friend; it was for the team. They needed the push, they all did. Even Newt and Hermann… Before last night, Newt wasn’t even sure if he would have called Hermann a friend. (That was a lie; Hermann had been his friend since day one, though they were too busy bickering to admit it. But it was why they kept coming back to the lab every day, without filing complaints or requesting to be switched partners.) (Hermann _did_ file complaints, though Fury did not hear them, and Newt didn’t know.)

“What is it?” Hermann whispered, cracking an eye open. He shifted to look at Newt, careful of his leg.

“I didn’t know you were awake.”

The corner of Hermann’s mouth lifted upward. “You’re a very loud snorer.”

Newt blushed, feeling guilty for robbing Hermann of his night’s sleep, especially leading up to a day like today. “Sorry.”

Hermann shrugged, but Newt could tell that he was holding back a yawn. “It’s fine. I’ll just have another cup of coffee at breakfast.” He stretched, and Newt quickly averted his gaze as Hermann’s loose pajama top rose a few inches. Newt wondered if the blush on his cheeks would become a permanent feature, but mostly, he wondered just exactly _who_ this was, and _what_ had he done with Hermann? (And, really, he was worried that _Hermann Gottlieb_ was suddenly capable of making him blush like a little schoolgirl.)

“Kaiju,” he blurted out, pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. “I-I mean…Fury wants us to find out how many are going to show up today.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to distract himself from the intensity of Hermann’s gaze. “I never thought I’d say this, but your numbers may come in handy.” He let out a small laugh, though it was more out of nervousness than anything else.

“The handwriting of God,” Hermann hummed, running his fingers through his hair. It was…strange to see his hair messy, like a normal person’s in the morning, instead of the slicked back old man ‘do. Newt strangely liked it, and he decided that he wouldn’t mind waking up next to his lab partner more often.

“You’re such a dweeb.”

“Kaiju groupie.”

“Mathlete.”

“Animaniac.”

They both burst into fits of giggles, red-faced and wheezing. (And since when did Doctor Hermann Gottlieb _giggle_?) They collapsed back onto the bed, feathers from the pillows floating in the air. Newt felt like a little kid again, and for a moment, he was able to forget the Kaiju and the oncoming war and Loki and all the rest. He was at peace, and if he was to die today, then at least he would have had the pleasure of knowing Hermann Gottlieb.

They faced each other, their necks craned to see over the pillows. Their fingers brushed when Newt shifted, and his blush returned once more. “I, um…” He licked his lips, then chewed the inside of his cheek. “Thanks for…you know. Being here.”

“Of course.”

Newt wasn’t exactly sure why he was thinking of magnets at a time like this, but it was the first thing that came to his mind. (He blamed the fact that he was a scientist.) He thought of what Coulson said, that opposites attract, and he supposed it _was_ true. It was as if some foreign, invisible entity was pulling Newt towards Hermann, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. (He didn’t think he wanted to stop it, though.)

The kiss was shy and tentative, as if they were nothing more than a couple of virginal teenagers. Newt shut his eyes, one hand twisted in the bedsheets and the other cupping Hermann’s cheek. He’d never been kissed like this before; it was always rough and insistent, and he’d thought he’d liked it that way. But Hermann… Well, Hermann seemed to be changing Newt’s outlook on things by the minute.

“You smell really bad,” Newt muttered, pursing his lips to keep from smiling.

“So do you, Doctor Geiszler.”

“I thought I said-”

“I know, Newt.” Newt could hear the smile in his voice. “I know.”

Newt pulled away to look at his lab partner, brow furrowed. “We might die today.” He cleared his throat, and nudged at Hermann to kiss him again. “Isn’t it awfully romantic, that we get together before the world ends?” Neither of them were ones for sentiments, but Newt didn’t mind.

“Who said we were together?” Still, Hermann let Newt straddle him, careful of his leg. “I thought you had just been implying a ‘we might die today so let’s fuck’ fuck.”

Newt let out a surprised laugh. “Such uncouth language, Doctor.” He began to move his hips, making sure to keep the noise down; the walls were awfully thin. Hermann’s hands found his waist, and he helped find a rhythm. Newt wondered how long it’d been since he’d done this, but he quickly pushed that thought aside; _Hermann_ was here now, and Hermann was all he cared about in that moment. 

“If we’re going to do this, can you at least take off your pajamas, please?”

Newt raised an eyebrow, amused. “Are you that eager to see me naked?” His eyes glinted with mirth.

 

Hermann smirked and nodded to Newt’s shirt. “No, I just don’t want to be fucked by a man wearing _Ghostbusters_ pajamas.”

* * *

 

The moment they stepped out of Hermann’s room, their professional civility returned. (As professional and civil as they could be, anyhow.) There was no mention of what happened last night or in the morning, but Newt understood. He did not regret it one bit, but in that moment, their work was more important than anything else. Once they saved the world- **_if_** _they did,_ a little voice niggled at the back of his mind-, then he and Hermann could sort things out.

Tony and Steve had reported that Loki would be opening another portal today, and it was a wonder that Newt wasn’t freaking out as much about _Captain fucking America_ being on the Helicarrier as he normally would. But it was as if something in his brain had _click_ ed, and he was no longer Newt the rock star or Newt the Kaiju groupie. He was Doctor Newton Geiszler, with six degrees and head of the biology department of SHIELD.  

He slipped into the lab, where Hermann was already scribbling equations on his chalkboard. Newt tossed Hermann a bagel he’d grabbed from the mess hall, and the mathematician caught it without looking. Newt sat down in his rolling chair, and bit into his own bagel. “Find anything new out yet?” He tried to lick cream cheese off of his chin, but he’d always been known for having a notoriously small tongue.

“This can’t be right,” Hermann muttered, hands on his hips. Newt kicked the counter for leverage, and wheeled his plush chair all the way to his lab partner. He saw the vein in Hermann’s neck that always throbbed whenever he was frustrated. (Newt had become quite accustomed to it because of that; he’d always been very talented at making Hermann exasperated.)

“What is it?” Newt chirped around a mouthful of bagel. He swallowed the last bite, and rolled the paper bag up into a ball. Squeezing an eye shut to aim, he tossed it into the garbage can on the other side of the room. _Swish_ , he thought proudly.

“All of my previous calculations predicted _three_ Kaiju to come through the portal, but the readings from the Breach we’re getting are only…” Hermann retyped all of his equations into the computer, and frowned. “We’re getting only two life readings. It doesn’t make sense at all.” His eyes flicked back to the chalkboard, scanning over the scrawl, but he sighed and gave a tiny shake of his head.

“Well, isn’t that…good?” Hermann stared at him as if he’d suddenly grown another head. “What I mean is that we were barely able to handle _one_ Kaiju at a time, so having two is better than having three…” He shrunk back into the back of his chair at Hermann’s withering glare. “…right?”

“Something bigger is coming. And we need a plan.” Hermann limped over to his electronic model of the Breach, and zoomed in on it. “A direct hit of a nuclear bomb will collapse the Breach…” The model _beep_ ed incessantly, and the projection flickered and died. Hermann offered Newt a tiny smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Just like _Star Wars_ , yeah?”

Newt chuckled and shook his head. “Unfortunately, the Kaiju are more advanced than the Galactic Empire.” He pushed the glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose, and got up to his feet. He reset the model, and the Breach appeared before him once more. “You know how I told you how the Kaiju are clones? Well, they’re not made like that _just because_.” He was rambling now, and his hands were moving often enough now to be deemed ridiculous. “The Kaiju, t-they’re like _barcodes_ , you see; they have the same DNA so only _they_ can enter the Breach. They make the portals, and, yeah, it takes them long to do, but we can’t stop it.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the report he’d taken from the storage room the day before; it was crumpled, but still legible.

 

“By Jove,” Hermann muttered, his eyes roaming the sheet of paper. Slowly, he looked up and met Newton’s gaze. “The attack isn’t going to work.”

* * *

 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Newt blurted out, pushing past frantic and grumbling agents. He hurriedly wheeled Hermann onto the bridge- Newt had insisted on putting his lab partner in a wheelchair for extra precaution and speed-, and though Hermann almost flew out of his seat a few times, never did he once tell Newt to slow down. They were men on a mission.

“Director Fury!” they shouted in harmony. Fury spun around on his heel to glare at them; despite having only one eye available, his stare was possibly more withering because of it. Hill stood behind him, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyebrow was raised ever so slightly, and she watched them, bemused.

“I hope you have those numbers ready,” Nick said darkly. His arms were clasped firmly behind his erect back. Through the windowpanes, Newt could see that they were hovering over Seattle. He caught a glimpse of Iron Man in the distance, carrying Hawkeye to the top of the Needle. The Hulk slid down the side of one of the buildings, ripping off chunks of concrete and glass when he grasped it.

“Yeah, about that,” Newt started, shoving the report towards Fury.

“Where did you-”

“Unimportant.” He waved a dismissive hand. “But what _is_ important is that this plan of yours really isn’t going to work.” He paced the length of the console platform, running his fingers through his hair. “The Breach only lets in Kaiju; if you try to put a nuke in there, it’ll spit it right back out and blow us to pieces.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Hill asked, cocking her head to the side.

Hermann shrugged a shoulder, nonchalant. “Kill a Kaiju, carry it to the Breach.”

“Then nuke it!” Newt whooped, throwing a fist into the air. On cue, lightning flashed through the sky, pulled to Thor’s hammer. One of the Kaiju screeched loudly as the electricity surged through him, though he did not stop his attack.

 

Fury barked some orders to the agents on the bridge, with Maria Hill shadowing him dutifully. Finally, the director turned to Newt and Hermann, wagging a stern finger in their faces. “This plan of yours better damn well work.”

* * *

 

“Tony,” Hermann called into the comm, “it’s Doctor Gottlieb. Doctor Geiszler is here, as well. Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Doc.”

“Do you have hold of the missile?” Newt asked, his palms sweating. They only had about two minutes to go before the nuke would blow, and only about two minutes to destroy the Breach.

“Indeed I do, Newt,” Tony chirped. “And do _you_ have hold of the Kaiju?”

The dead beast was swinging down from the Helicarrier’s heavy cords. He was destroyed by a Mjölnir through the heart and one of Hawkeye’s exploding arrows in his brain. “The Kaiju is in position, Mr. Stark.”

“Then let’s throw this sucker in there, Doctor. _Allons-y_.”

Hermann and Newt shared a smile, and Newt allowed himself to release a relieved sigh. It was not over just yet, but they were almost there; he was confident now. Any moment now, the Breach would collapse and the Earth would be rid of Kaiju. And Loki…well, Loki would rot in a cell on Asgard for all eternity. The odds were looking pretty good, Newt had to admit.

 

“ _Allons-y,_ Mr. Stark.”

* * *

 

Newt and Hermann joined the other agents and Avengers in the courtyard to see Thor and Loki off. The past few days had gone by unbelievably fast, a complete whirlwind of events. The fatigue finally caught up with Newt, and he allowed himself to lean on one of the parked SHIELD vans. He crossed his arms over his chest, a content and sleepy smile on his face. Balance had finally been restored to the world.

“He looks different,” Hermann observed, scrutinizing Loki from a distance. “He looks almost…sad.” He frowned, his grip tightening on his cane.

“I think I’d be sad, too, if I lost a war and made a complete fool out of myself.” He was reminded why _Loki_ and _loco_ sounded so similar. Still…he supposed he saw Hermann’s point; he felt a twinge of sympathy for Loki. All he wanted to do was prove himself, but things don’t necessarily go the way you want them to. (And what Newt had learnt was that the good guys always came out on top.)

Thor waved to them, and while he had a smile on his face, it did not reach his eyes. The war had taken its toll on him, too. Even more so, considering that the main challenger was his own brother. Thor and Loki twisted the handles of the Tesseract; the Bifrost came down on them, a brilliant array of colour and light. Within the blink of an eye, the gods were gone.

“What now?” Hermann asked him. “Everyone else seems to have plans.” Steve zoomed off on his motorcycle, Bruce and Tony climbed in a convertible, and Tasha and Clint lingered behind together.

Careful not  to let the others see him, Newt subtly laced his fingers through Hermann’s. _His_ only plan was to spend as much time with Hermann as possible. “I prefer to take things one day at a time.” He smiled at his lab partner, his entire face lighting up. “How about I take you out for lunch at the café down the road, and then we’ll talk.”

Hermann raised a brow at him, both amused and confused. “Are you asking me out on a date, Doctor Geiszler?”

Newt’s expression was the picture of innocence. “I didn’t want to assume, but if that’s what you want to make out of it…” He shrugged a shoulder and bit back a smirk.

 

Hermann tugged on Newt’s hand, his face breaking out into a wide, totally un-Hermann-Gottlieb grin. “Then let’s go. I’m absolutely famished.”

* * *

 

Newt was lounging at his desk in the lab, his eyes closed and his hands resting on his tummy. He was half-asleep, caught in the wonderful space between being awake and unconsciousness. The day had been rather slow so far (though every day was a slow one compared to that week with Loki and the Kaiju). Hermann did not bother him, but kept to his numbers and light piano music. It was a very pleasant arrangement, Newt decided.

Sometime later, after he’d had a very odd dream about ice cream and vampires that he had no intention of reliving, he yawned and stretched. It was a nice nap, just what he’d needed; he was already feeling rejuvenated and full of energy. (Hermann would argue that Newt was _always_ bursting with energy, but Hermann always had to argue something when it came to Newt.)

Slowly, he opened one eye at a time, and let out a small groan. He dimmed the lights in the lab and shuffled to the coffee machine on the other side of the room. He poured himself a cup and drank it black; it was cold by now, but he didn’t particularly care. Coffee was coffee, and he was not about to complain. He would just get Hermann to change the pot when he came back from…wherever he was; he’d been asleep when Hermann left.

He bent down to examine the jar of Kaiju intestines; it held both fond and disgusting memories. But…on the other side of the glass, he saw another pair of eyes peering at him. He screamed, almost dropping his cup of coffee.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry!” she squeaked, shooting up to her feet. She had a cute British drawl with a pretty face to match, but Newt would not let her off easy because of that. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just… I’m getting my majors in biology, and I wanted to see the collection that you had here; I’d heard it was one of the best around, and it does _not_ disappoint.” She grabbed Newt’s hand and eagerly shook it, a huge grin on her lips. “I am a _huge_ fan, Doctor Geiszler. It is an _honour_ to meet you.”

Newt was about to respond, but the lab’s door slid open with a _whoosh_ before he could get any words out. Hermann came walking in, trailed by a young man, fumbling for his words in a thick Scottish accent. Hermann must be feeling at home with these two, Newt thought dryly.

“Ah, Newton, I see you’ve met Jemma.”

“I…guess I did.” Newt realized that he was still shaking Jemma’s hand.

“Doctor Geiszler, may I introduce Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons.” Hermann’s smile was almost teasing, almost _mocking_. “They’re our new interns.”                           


End file.
